


Something Familiar

by Ruenis



Series: Continue? [2]
Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spirits, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 05:11:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9056875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruenis/pseuds/Ruenis
Summary: Inaho is not quite sure how exactly to celebrate Christmas, but he tries anyway, for the sake of his friend.





	

“Slaine?” Inaho calls quietly, and his voice is a bit echoey in the forest, echoey still in the white-covered area. The trees have all shed their leaves, exposing their branches, all strewn with snow, some branches bending under the weight of the horrible stuff, and the thinner ones look ready to collapse at any moment at even the slightest touch. His footfalls are nearly silent in the air, muffled by the snow, and he wishes he had been able to procure some boots or normal shoes instead of having to wear his sandals out in the snow – his socks are damp from the white stuff clinging to him, and he fears he may end up getting a cold, something that will hinder him from seeing his friend..

“Slaine?” he calls again, and his breath comes out a white mist, warm, and he hugs the wrapped box to his chest a bit tighter, feeling his fingertips go warm at the pressure. If not for the box and his pants, he would blend in with the snow, and it would make it that much harder for him and Slaine to find each other – the other day, he made the mistake of wearing his sister's coat instead of his own and it nearly covered his red pants.. he had to take it off for a few moments while shouting Slaine's name because they could not find each other amongst the heaps of snow. He had almost gotten a cold that day, too, but Slaine had been thoughtful enough to build him a fire..

.. they.. had very nearly set a tree aflame, because Slaine had constructed it in a hollow, also having been thoughtful enough to factor in the wind, and he had not wanted it to go out.

Slaine has since then been more careful.

“Where are–..”

“Inaho?”

Inaho blinks at the quiet call and turns his head to the side, eyes widening slightly upon finding Slaine lying at the base of a tree, his vaguely familiar black mask atop his head. “Slaine,” he breathes, and he stands motionless as the blond slowly sits up, the snow sticking to his hair, his clothing.. it is almost unnoticeable against his white clothing, the snow only visible at certain angles, with the dark, dark tree standing behind him. “Hi,” he greets, and Slaine offers him a small smile, waving.

“Hi, Inaho,” Slaine greets, and his eyes widen a bit upon seeing the wrapped box. “What's that?” he asks, curiosity clear in his soft tone, and he sits up a bit straighter, fingertips digging into the snow as he leans forward.

Inaho smiles a bit as he walks toward the blond, kneeling down in front of him. “It's.. a gift,” he says quietly, and Slaine gazes at him in surprise, settling back down in the snow when Inaho sets the wrapped box between them, “It's for you, Slaine. Merry Christmas.”

A smile pulls at Slaine's lips, and he lightly chews on his bottom lip. “You.. brought me a gift, even though you don't celebrate Christmas?” he asks quietly, very gently pulling the box toward him, smoothing its top; the wrapping paper crinkles under his touch, and is decorated plainly, with cherry blossoms and branches.. Inaho must have used some paper from the shrine to decorate it.

“Mm. You celebrate it, Slaine, and I want you to feel at home, here,” Inaho whispers, watching as Slaine continues to smooth the paper, something alight within his eyes – _he's happy,_ he realises after a second, _He's.. really, really happy, like when we play together._

His heart feels warm in his chest, and he finds himself smiling a bit more when Slaine meets his eyes.

“Thank you, Inaho,” Slaine whispers, pulling the paper back from the box, being careful not to completely rip it, and he gingerly pulls the box's flaps away, eyes widening when he sees what is inside.

“I.. hope you like it, Slaine. I don't celebrate Christmas, but I have two friends who do.. and they said that gift-giving was similar to birthday gifts, and..–”

Inaho stops short when Slaine suddenly leans forward, and he leans forward to instinctively catch him –

“Oh..”

He sits up a bit, blinking the snow out of his eyelashes and exhaling roughly, expelling the cold, prickly stuff from his lips.

“I.. I wish I could hug you..”

Inaho straightens himself a bit, breath catching when he finds Slaine gazing at him, blue-green eyes glossy, rimmed with tears. “Slaine..” he whispers, shaking his head a bit, “It's fine, really, it's..” He trails off, voice soft, shaky, and he knows it is _not_ fine, and he wishes the very same thing every day that he sees his friend.

Touch is important, in any kind of relationship; touch is reassuring, calming, friendly, touch shows affection.. And he knows Slaine is lacking in friends and comfort, has only come into contact with a handful of people, most of whom are alive and unreachable. And despite the both of them knowing full well they cannot touch normally, Slaine still tries, still hopes, and it crushes him each time they fail.

“I wish I were alive,” Slaine whispers, smiling a bit, pained, and he shakes his own head, very gently placing his hand over Inaho's – it phases through, right through, and it leaves Inaho's hand feeling cold, unnaturally cold, and his skin responds accordingly. Bumps form along his skin, hair raising a bit, and Inaho bites his own lip to hold in a shiver. Sniffling quietly, Slaine's smile slips, tears welling up in his eyes, “I can't.. I can't give you presents, or.. or touch you.. It.. it isn't fair..”

Straightening himself a bit more, Inaho feels his knee and thigh go cold when he shifts, coming into contact with the box that is still under Slaine's influence. He inhales softly and exhales as low as he can, mist still warm, faint, and he calls softly, “Slaine..?” He meets Slaine's eyes again, and the blond bites his bottom lip, trying to keep himself from crying. “Slaine, when we get older.. we'll find a way to help you,” he whispers, “We will. You'll.. live with me, and Yuki-nee, and my friends, and.. you won't disappear, and we'll find a way to help you.”

Childish optimism, he knows, but he also wholeheartedly believes every word he says.

“Can you wait?” he asks quietly, and the blond looks away, at that, biting his lip a bit harder, “Can you wait until that day? When we're old enough to go away from the shrine, and find a nice, safe place to live?”

It takes a moment, but Slaine nods a few times, blinking his nervous, anxious tears away. He sniffles again and raises his other hand, gently rubbing his eyes, “I.. I can wait..”

 _Good,_ Inaho thinks, relieved. He wishes for their friendship to last – and he truly does want to care for Slaine in any way he can, knowing just how _lonely_ Slaine must be all the time, out here in the forest, far from the shrine and other people.. “We'll always be friends, Slaine. I promise,” he reassures the other, and that seems to get him to finally relax, to calm down.

“I'm.. happy, Inaho.. that you come to see me almost every day..” Slaine murmurs, pulling the box closer to him so that it no longer interferes with Inaho's temperature; he knows the effect he has on Inaho, but often forgets, their failed interactions often ending up with Inaho shivering and cold, even in the hotter months. “I.. really like my gift..” he says quietly, “Thank you, Inaho..”

“I'm glad,” Inaho says, smiling just a bit when the blond offers him a tiny, shy smile, and he watches as the other pulls the gift out from the box and hugs it to his chest. “I wasn't sure what to get you that you would enjoy or have a use for, so I settled on something I was sure you'd like,” he continues, “Isn't it cute?”

“Mm..” Slaine murmurs, and he softens completely, smile relaxing further. “I.. think I'll name it 'Naho'..” he says softly, and Inaho feels his eyes widen a bit at the comment, “It reminds me of you, Inaho.. I won't feel so lonely if I have this with me..”

 _Ah,_ Inaho realises, and he feels his heart go warm again, happy. “I'm glad, Slaine. Please cherish that bat as if it were me, then,” he suggests, and Slaine nods again, easily agreeing.

“I.. promise I'll take care of it, Inaho,” Slaine murmurs, and he holds the plush bat out just a bit, smile turning clumsy, “Merry Christmas, Inaho.”

“Merry Christmas, Slaine,” Inaho returns, reaching out a bit to brush his fingers against the plush – they go through, just as Slaine's hand had gone through him, but it feels warm, now, warm and familiar, like Slaine.

“.. do you.. think you can come see me, tomorrow..?” Slaine asks quietly, “Where I'm from, my country.. we have two days of Christmas, to celebrate with friends and family..”

Inaho blinks at the new information, wondering why they need two whole days to celebrate; perhaps there, Christmas is a much bigger deal than it usually is, or perhaps traditions are different.. Either way.. “Of course,” he says, nodding. He earns another smile, another warm, small smile, and returns it as best he can, “In the meantime, let's finish celebrating today. And then we can discuss tomorrow.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I read somewhere that the '&' in the relationship tag is used for platonic relationships?? so I'm going to use that.
> 
> also!!! merry Christmas! feliz navidad, y felices vacaciones!  
> thank you all so much for such a great year - I never expected so much feedback for my silly hobby, but I'm so happy that people enjoy my work! I'm having fun, writing all of this, and I hope to make next year just as great! ❤❤


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